04-20-09 ** Due to an emergency activity on campus, afternoon college classes are currently cancelled and the campus is closed. Please check back for updates. **

Police searching for suspected bank robber at Napa Valley College
Bay City News Service
Posted: 04/20/2009 03:29:21 PM PDT
Updated: 04/20/2009 04:20:32 PM PDT


Napa Valley College in Napa remains on lockdown this afternoon while police search for a suspected bank robber who may have fled onto school grounds, a college police official said.
The suspect is believed to have robbed a nearby bank shortly before 1 p.m., drove onto campus and then fled on foot into the inner campus, located at 2277 Napa Vallejo Highway, college police said.

Students remained on lockdown as of 3:30 p.m. and afternoon classes have been canceled while Napa police, the Napa County Sheriff's office and the California Highway Patrol search for the suspect.

One subject has been taken into custody, but police are indicating there may be a second subject — a passenger in the car that came from the robbery scene in front of Westamerica Bank — who is still unaccounted for.

3:55 p.m. update — The subject is apparentlyinf the campus library and he is willing to come out, according to information from the scene. The subject's red shirt and backpack were earlier reported found in a campus bathroom, and that he changed clothing to hide.
3:50 p.m. update — The girlfriend of the robbery subject is with police at the command center. The subject reportedly called her to say he is locked down in some room on the Napa Valley College campus but does not know what room he is in, according to Register.com reporter Carlos Villatoro at Napa Valley College.

Police negotiators have now reportedly made contact with the subject and are negotiating with him to come out.
3:40 p.m. update — Reports are the children who were at the Child Care Center on campus are being taken by bus to Napa Fire Station 4, 251 Gasser Dr., behind the South Napa Marketplace and just a short distance from the Napa Valley College campus.

3:25 p.m. update — Indications are the Child Care Center is being cleared of children and there are no issues involving the children or the center itself. A Register.com reader sent along information that the center and the childrenh are fine.
An additional notice forwarded by a student from the college's WebAdvisor to students indicates all afternoon classes are canceled and the college is closed.

2:45 p.m. update — The latest text from college staff to students indicates the SWAT team is still checking the campus and asking students to stay in their rooms. This is more than an hour from the first notice requesting students stay in their rooms.

2 p.m. update — An armed male subject who reportedly robbed a person heading into a bank has created a lockdown situation at Napa Valley College as he abandoned a car there and fled through campus on foot

A SWAT team has just started a search for the subject, described as a black male wearing jeans shorts and a red shirt, who was seen running in a westerly direction -- towards the school’s administration building -- shortly after 1 p.m. today.

Police report the subject robbed a person of an undiswclosed amount of money in a deposit bag in the parking lot of Westamerica Bank in the River Park Shopping Center on Imola Avenue, not far away from the college.

The subject was reported to have driven away from Westamerica Bank in a white Lexus, abandoning the car on the Napa Valley College campus, according to police. There are preliminary reports of a second person also in the vehicle, but no description is available at this time.

A student at NVC stated he received a text message from the college just after 1:30 p.m. indicating the following:

"Armed man on campus. Stay in the room you are in. Search of campus is on going. Suspect is black male in black shorts and red shirt."

A second text from the college was sent out later on, stating, "SWAT is now searching campus. Stay in room."

Barricades are set up at entrances and exists to the college as law enforcement checks each person and vehicle coming in to or leaving the campus, according to Register reporter Carols Villatoro, who is on the scene.

The SWAT team is stationed at the Napa Golf Course at Kennedy Park adjacent to the college.

Police expanded the search to go through the parking lot of the nearby South Napa Marketplace to see if anyone matching the person’s description had fled in that direction.

Check back for more details on the story.